Rangers 9, Mariners 5
Lance Berkman hit a three-run homer and Jeff Baker smacked a two-run shot as visiting Texas handed Seattle its seventh straight loss.
David Murphy had two RBIs and the Rangers racked up 13 hits while winning for the 11th time in 15 games. Seattle has been outscored 55-21 during its season-worst losing skid.
Justin Grimm (4-3) allowed three runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings to beat the Mariners for the second time this season. Seattle starter Joe Saunders (3-5) allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings and saw his home ERA balloon from 0.94 to 2.41.
Baker homered to right field in the second to give Texas a 2-1 lead and Seattle tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Brendan Ryan’s double. Berkman’s mammoth blast to left in the third gave the Rangers a 5-2 lead and the Mariners got one run back on Raul Ibanez’s double in the bottom of the inning.
Elvis Andrus hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Nelson Cruz singled in a seventh-inning run prior to Murphy delivering a two-run single to boost the Texas lead to 9-3. Ryan and Kyle Seager each had run-scoring doubles in the ninth for Seattle as the Rangers were forced to call on Joe Nathan to strike out Michael Morse for his 15th save in 15 opportunities.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Seattle designated INF Robert Andino for assignment and recalled INF Carlos Triunfel and C Jesus Sucre from Triple-A Tacoma. Sucre replaced C Jesus Montero, who was demoted to Tacoma on Thursday. … The Rangers have won the last four meetings with the Mariners, outscoring them 32-8. … Sucre hit into a phantom double play in the second in his first major-league at-bat. Sucre hit a grounder to first baseman Mitch Moreland, who threw to Andrus at second for a force and Andrus’ return throw to Moreland was intercepted by Grimm, who was not on the bag and first base umpire Jeff Nelson still called Sucre out.